


I Care

by RarePairGremlin



Series: Hurt Me Ever So Gently [3]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Friendship, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Shyness, Texting, anxieties, impromptu hangouts, unedited
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-28
Updated: 2019-11-28
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:20:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21596779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RarePairGremlin/pseuds/RarePairGremlin
Summary: “It’s too... It’s too loud there and uh, I thought, maybe, if you’re not busy that is... I thought maybe you’d like some company?” they swallowed, stood straighter and raised the bag high enough it nearly blocked his vision of them. “I brought snacks?”He looked up over the bag at them, his brow pushing up high enough it twitched. They stared at each other for a few moments of awkward silence before he started to step aside and allow them entrance to his home. He hesitated though, for just a moment, turning to block them again as he tilted his head till his bangs fell into his eyes. He peered at them through his hair, barely fighting off the urge to bite at his lip nervously.“You’re not just here cus Kindaichi sent you?” he asked quietly, voice softer than he meant to, tone giving away the train of thought that had made him hesitate.
Relationships: Kawanishi Taichi/Kunimi Akira
Series: Hurt Me Ever So Gently [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1548043
Comments: 2
Kudos: 16





	I Care

**Author's Note:**

  * For [inkiedinkie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/inkiedinkie/gifts).



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> 
> Prompt - "Nobody Cares If You Don’t Go To The Party" from [ Elimemes on Tumblr. ](https://elimemes.tumblr.com/post/178012075016/soft-angst-starters-stay-for-me-whats-this)

**Yuu** _Nobody cares if you don’t go to the party  
It’s up to you_ 3:40 pm

He’s read the text several times over despite the words never changing. He hadn’t bothered responding, not that Kindaichi expected a response. It wasn’t odd for him to leave his best friend on read, they always assumed he just didn’t have a reply and never held any negative feelings over his silence. 

Normally that was the case. He doesn’t bother offering a reply if he doesn’t have one. Plus there’s nothing more annoying than someone messaging you and all you get is a ‘K’. Even worse if it’s a thumbs-up or v emoji. 

Today though, he couldn’t get his friends text out of his mind. Now, he knows all too well that you can’t truly understand someone’s tone or meaning through a text that took less than 10 seconds to type and send. However, his mind is sticking to his friend’s choice of words as if it was a breakup text and he was the dumpee searching for a hidden meaning. 

Kindaichi had invited him to a housewarming party a week ago and had interrupted his decline of the invitation by telling him to just think about it. And he has. He really, truly has, especially when he overheard that several of their old teammates would be going. But he’s just not one to enjoy parties of any kind. He prefers quiet, small groups and despite the party being hosted by Ushijima, it was going to be anything but relaxed and it definitely not going to be a small group. The man somehow attracts the oddest, loudest personalities.

So he’d said no and Kindaichi, true to their usual fashion, had accepted his answer but had also tried one more time to convince him to go a few hours before the party started. Just in case, they always told him when he’d as why they bothered asking after he’s already said no. He silently appreciates it, it shows they care about him, he knows that, even if it is annoying to be asked again. 

Sighing softly he clicked off his screen and flopped his arm out against his bed. His grip on the phone loosened but he kept it against his palm, a reminder of his increasing anxieties. It took until his eyes began to burn from not blinking for him to stop staring at his ceiling without really seeing it. His thoughts continued to rapidly jump from attacking his self-esteem to comforting him for wanting to just stay home to making him feel lonely and around again and again in a near vicious cycle. 

Thankfully he began to tire, more emotionally and mentally thank physically but still, sleep was catching up. His breathing evened out and the only sign his phone was still in his hand was the subtle weight of it and the brush of his fingers when he’d twitch awake. His body was fighting a nap but he was willing to let it happen.

He almost had it too, if it wasn’t for the reality jerking knock to his front door. 

Jolting awake his eyes snapped open, he bounced on the bed from how sharply he flinched at the sound and his heart lept into his throat. Swallowing against the heavy pulse he blinked, sat up and stared into the darkened hallway. Another knock had him flinching again, made his heart skip. He was side-eyeing the heavy lamp beside him, blaming his wandering thoughts of robbery and worse on his half-asleep haze, when someone called his name.

Relaxing instantly he was off the bed and lazily slumping down the hall to open the door. His brow raised and he flicked the porch light on, checked the face peering in through his window before unlocking the door and yanking it open in a fluid motion.

Before Kawanishi could say a word he questioned them.“Weren’t you just at Ushijima’s?” his voice was low, a bit rough from near-sleep and he cleared his throat as he raked a hand through his messy hair.

“Yes.” they nodded to add to the confirmation. He leaned a hip into the doorframe, crossing his arms over his chest as he waited for them to continue. Kawanishi rubbed the back of their neck and glanced to the side as they spoke. He didn’t miss the soft glow of a blush of their cheeks, the night too comfortable a temperature to be from heat or chill. “Your friend said you decided to stay home even though you had nothing to do tonight.”

“Kindaichi?” they hummed and he rolled his eyes. Of course, they’d mention his decision to stay home, more than likely offering the information despite nobody caring to ask after him. A painful sting shot through his chest at that but he squashed it down as best he could. Straightening he gripped the edge of the door and cleared his throat again.

“So why are you here?”

The blush grew a bit darker and he found himself intrigued that he had such an effect on them. Wondered if it was a crush but also shoved that aside, refusing to read too much into it. They were more likely to be embarrassed over suddenly showing up to his door uninvited than liking him more than any other person he knew. 

Kawanishi shuffled on their feet, the bag in their hand swayed drawing his attention. He was curious but it wasn’t his place to ask so he waited as their mouth opened and closed a few times, their eyes flicking to and from him as they seemed to be struggling for the right words. It was… It was kind of adorable if he’s being honest, but that could be leftover thoughts from the crush idea his brain had conjured up so he didn’t trust it.

“It’s too... It’s too loud there and uh, I thought, maybe, if you’re not busy that is... I thought maybe you’d like some company?” they swallowed, stood straighter and raised the bag high enough it nearly blocked his vision of them. “I brought snacks?”

He looked up over the bag at them, his brow pushing up high enough it twitched. They stared at each other for a few moments of awkward silence before he started to step aside and allow them entrance to his home. He hesitated though, for just a moment, turning to block them again as he tilted his head till his bangs fell into his eyes. He peered at them through his hair, barely fighting off the urge to bite at his lip nervously.

“You’re not just here cus Kindaichi sent you?” he asked quietly, voice softer than he meant to, tone giving away the train of thought that had made him hesitate.

 _Nobody cares if you don’t go… Nobody cares… Nobody..._

He felt foolish even thinking it but it stuck to the inside of his mind like feathers to tar. The words burned into him like he’d been branded by them, the chanting sentence an annoying nag playing over and over. 

“He doesn’t know I’m here.”

The words brought him back to the moment and out of his head. He blinked slowly at Kawanishi, their face coming into focus as his brain raced to process their words and felt a pang of self-consciousness as he noticed just how intense their gaze on him was. Glancing over their shoulder he gripped the door tighter to distract himself from how their stare made him feel.

“Did you steal them?” he asked out of nowhere, his voice higher than normal as he grasped at straws to change the subject. “The snacks,” he clarified when he saw them tilt their head from the corner of his vision.

“Oh,” they nodded, smiling shyly as the bag was hugged to their chest. “Yes.”

“From Ushijima’s?” it was a dumb question but he asked anyway, glad that the change in subject was working and accepted so easily. 

“Yes. Tendou helped,” Kawanishi blushed at the reminder of how Tendou nearly shoved him out the door, far too excited over learning that they’d be going to Kunimi’s place. 

“This is why I like you,” he chuckled, relaxing again for a moment, until the realization of what he’d just said reached his ears. His eyes snapped to theirs and he felt his face heat up so warmly it felt like a fever. 

“Good to know,” Kawanishi’s tone was fond, voice so low they whispered. Their face had to be as red as is felt and it made him feel slightly less embarrassed. Clearing his throat he finally stepped aside, waving an arm in welcome. 

Once inside they both avoided eye contact, shuffled on the feet as silence began stretching out between them again. Rubbing at his arms to give himself something to do he nodded toward the living room, hoped his voice wasn’t as wobbly as it sounded to him.

“Wanna binge shitty crime dramas and stuff our faces till we pass out?”

“Absolutely,” Kawanishi grinned widely at the floor, unable to look at them with his face so darkly tinted with reds and pinks. He followed them to the couch, unzipping his hoodie as he sat down. The couch was small so their knees kept bumping into each the others, it made them both far too aware of the close proximity but, eventually, they relaxed against each other and enjoyed the impromptu night.


End file.
